FIVE of THEM..................... Sept. 3, 1991 910903
'Ouch', he said
as the pain became so harsh he could't find another notch on the
lip he bit. ;One lousy hair out of place and it cost me it all.
Maybe its' a freek rash or an iodine blister. So Many things
going around like the flu even 'thinking' sounds good now.
I've got to check that display. Five days ago a needle moved a
little and the entire planet jumped. Those lousy space dollars
sure bought a beauty that time. Why, imagine that, six ships
joining up to fuel a factory. Making some kind of studies on
propulsion they said. I've got to just check off one consul to
keep the whole mess in line. ""BRINGGGGGG" 'Barge 28', 'Sir'
"Yes, thats' my name. No, I haven't received the proposal yet.
Yes, I would. You found it. Well thats' amazing, OK, I'll shut
down here and the usual 10 day waite.. Yes, Sir, I'll read it.
Goodbye.!" "Guess I'll be moving to another set in this time.
One more button and I'm out to State picnics." These stations
get built one day and the next they say its' two days too late.
Don't they know of the New Op laws. If you want it done
yesterday yell tomorrow! The vibrations'll get more attention
that way. One more button , yes, there it is -glick- Wow, hit
one that time, This thing never did pay off. But, the fun was
when it caught into one of those networks and loaded about a
zillion games. Pirates, I tell youwhy nobody here had the time
to play ony of them we'd just get a credit for turning it in.
That way the pay off would be real. Think I'll call Ed and see
if he signed on." "Ed home?Ask him if he signed on to that new
job. Ok, I'll wait. Guess, I cought him messing up her shower.
Oh, yes I'm going to read up on it when the mail comes." "Ed was
with me on the last one so he knows. Bye now." Outside the air
was misty with the cold. Five years now doing nothing but
waiting for the next ride to whatever. Nothing doing this time
I'm going on the new jobs with the new engines. Some guy was
playing around with a surplus board and got it to fly out of the
socket then he hooked it up wrong. Straing , now, its' going to
power 50 thousand tons of engine at light speeds. The hook up
was almost complete for me. "Ed called to say he got it and
would see you there." The voice through the maze of 30 years of
salvage seemed like this should go with him. Take it all. I'll
just start new and get a raise by being neater. Well the ship
would be neater than this barge anyway. Time to shave and
collect my credits. The ride to the nearby town was silent.
Radio time was so bawled up commercials sometimes left you
wandering what the product was. Sometimes five or six stations
sss'd..Wander what Captain Eddie will have cooked up for travel
fair. Hope it's not that A D O Jer stuff again. 'Jest stopped
by to let off some packages. Those tubes are plugged up again
with damp seed packages. The teletime paid five numbers last
week on the credit raffel. Don't cost ya that one. Got to get
over to the message center." "See ya." Those messages'l catch up
in about a week when they get home. Eds' probably waiting.
Lets' see the readout said formal class XWU . Yep thats' it now
for the smart pills they sent. Ok, here goes, I'll know when
its' it." Ed was waiting next to the door waving me in. "Just
drop that hulk over there and lets' go, time is now. "Yes, Sir."
Huh, that was easy now for the XWU pil, here goes. That was the
last formal treatment he was to get for sometime. The effect
would last til the antidote was taken. New S.O.P. for the new
equipment. Setting back the only thing now was the case
envelope. Ed walked over after envelopes matched. We'd leave one
and open one than match them for you know what. Sounds silly
cause we knew each other but you know how easy it would be to
switch something and end up loosing the lot. Well, these new
ships cost about what a war would destroy these days. So, now,
I'm going on the newist, " Pills are color, now, you rank" Yes,
the cameoflodge worked. "Ed was Ground Captain, but I was flight
Admiral of the new ship. But not till I got there. "Fine, we
have edge on envelopes" "True, now, your start." I found the
proceedure so automatic now the mention of start seemed inane
but thats' what the next set of pills covered. "Five hour
sequence; Start." "Eye Eye .We now know nothing of what we are
about to see. ENTER .." The rest was probably enduced from the
XWU packet that someone gave us somewhere we couldn't remember
anymore anyway but somehow had ended up with. "Check the cross
spiral line for ..." Now that and a dozen more cues came up the
list. "I'm lost" Ed said. "The last time was easy but this
time I'm. skin to bone. Can't help it. 'They' would have it
'they' again. Well?" "XWU complete, we can only hope no one
pirated this thing or gave us perminent Trojanization on that
Blister." "Everyone wants to rule the Universe it seems. Set
back!" Five hours was a long time in one of these but as it had
happened in the past one hour after that we would be back and
maybe days or years had passed." "Psychiatry gives us the dark
side of the aw only to find it helped security cover up
missions. Now, thats' positive attitude. One hour to go befor
'it'." Sun was up. The moon stil shown and as befor the light,
the blinding light in our eyes just befor 'spin off'. 30
minutes. Stages left ... the feeling was great as if I knew how
to walk. "Hello, Crew, this is your Captain. XQR 15 years. Time
is now! you have made it. Now VWYZ!" 15 years, I thought, -v-
I've been ready to retire but with those 'pills for everything'
-w- Age seems to evade me -y- I know evverryone will be ne new to
mez- the last 5 hours of this thing seems to be going as
planned, so, now what?Antidote complete ops for lunch"What's
this thing, a new tonsil tickler for fat people?" I looked down
and found I had lost the pounds I had left with. I felt great
too. Must be that new ship had used some unheard of treatment.
Never did see it. Guess it's better that way sense too much to
know might be bad. Lets' see the report. Any -u- That snaped a
neck. Here's the only releases available. Enjoy. well, now
here's a picture of a group of 'barly bills' if ever I saw one.
Who's the handsome one in the middle? Me? Well thats' something.
Where's Ed? He should be about. Now thats' odd. Where's Ed? Ed
sided? The resposnse was. "He stayed" Stayed? They say, now,
thats' a choice I didn't know yet. Building -N- 1 hour, "Now is
the time" Quickly as this business was the news changed lives.
Ed was staying somewhere and not a word was spoken where. I've
been at this long enough to know the old reasons, but now, The
first thing I thought was who on the next what? Whaer was the
next and I'll ask " News. After -n- Its' yours" What was mine? I
can't wait but than 15 years gave lots of room. Packet Envelopes
than x, a-zWow, this is great -x- I've always needed a boost
like this and all mine. A-z "EEM, Right!" just now. Walking
over to "EEM' I found some old friennds waiting. Just can't
loose an old friend these days. The surprise was in the van
marked 'Ribbon Yellow' "In the van?" I never had a van befor!
But in the van what else could it be. Packet time 0 , yours.
Cargo seperate area. I drove the van over to the Dock to receive
the cargo. 15 years . Must be a lot of something. "First
shipment?" I asked the dock man. "If you wish but this is all,
now." He said looking as if he already knew. "Watch your step
for loading!" The crates were loaded into the vn as I read.
Company Office. I guess that's me. I was to set up an office?
Talking to the last of my friends, I listened to the new
dialects and words being used. Strange as before I never felt it
was going to be a shopping trip. 16 crates all neetly marked to
give me an easy time of it. "Sign here please . Thankyou." Back
to the barge for another adventure only I didn't know this one
either. So, this was the new SOP? Opening each of the boxes I
felt I knew what this was. Each piece enterlocked and -snap- the
larger it became. One connection after another and 'oh boy' a
consul to 'push that button' only this one looked like I could
walk throught it. On the side read " Probe check complete" Well
it's "Please enter name" I guess I enter my name., but it's
been so long isn't it the same or has it been changed? I'll try
the old one first than if that doesn't work I'll use the rest,
well, it's a long life anyway. "Yes, will that do?" "Fine, and
how are you today?" Pretty smart for a box. "Please enter the
left side for contact check and make up." "OK, I'll be just a
moment. I have to check something first" "Fine. Do you wish to
be accompanied?" "NO, I'll do it alone." "Fine" Entering I
truned and -ctch= "Well, is everything OK?" Ed entered the
case. "Come with me.You have made it" "Made it? Where?" "Come
on." Walking outside the sun shined and the moon rose. Ah.
Moons... All 5 of them.......
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